She's More
by Amarin Rose
Summary: Pairing: Seto–Isis Summary: What exactly does Domino's more eligible bachelor look for in a prospective mate? On Seto's wedding day, he thinks about how lucky he'd gotten by meeting Isis Ishtar.


**She's More**

* * *

_Lyrics from 'She's More' by Andy Griggs_

* * *

Isis Ishtar. One of the most confounding women in the world.

And I am lucky enough to be able to call her mine. My wife, now, as of this morning, as a matter of fact.

My wife… I never thought I'd be able to say that about any woman…let alone the slim force of nature that I fell in love with.

Of course, it does help that she returns my love. Yet another unbelievable event in the rollercoaster of irony that is my life.

And yet, it wasn't always that way…

* * *

_I like blue eyes, hers are green.  
Not like the woman of my dreams.  
And her hair's not quite as long as I had planned. _

_Five foot three isn't tall.  
She's not the girl I pictured at all.  
In those paint by number fantasies I've had._

* * *

While I am normally a very meticulous, careful person, and take great pains to make sure all my plans are well thought out, growing up, I had my dreams. Just as anyone does. As a child, they were childish dreams; when Mokuba and I ended up in that orphanage, I had to grow up, and fast. No time for frivolous dreams, however much I wish might differently. My dreams took a turn for the serious, as did my ambitions.

I wanted to find someone to adopt both Mokuba and I, and I wanted to be able to make enough money to make sure that I would always be able to take care of him. I accomplished both goals by challenging Gozabura Kaiba to a chess match, and winning.

Granted, it didn't turn out all hearts and roses for me, but in the end, I got everything I wanted. Mokuba is safe, I own KaibaCorp and provide the best of the best for him, and best of all, I'll never have to worry about any of that changing anytime soon.

Let's just conveniently skip over those few years my heart was darker than Yami's soul, shall we? It's over now – thanks to said former Pharaoh, as a matter of fact – and everyone, surprisingly – and Mokuba, most importantly – has forgiven me.

Including Isis. My own personal Angel of Mercy.

When I took over KaibaCorp, I admittedly didn't have much free time. What parts of my brain had once worked to overcome Gozabura's 'tests' now worked to run the company. But I no longer had to deny my own thoughts; I could give them free reign. A spare moment here or there allowed me the luxury of indulging in my own daydreams.

And in my more whimsical moments, I occasionally thought of my future. Not **Mokuba's** future as had been the focus of my life for so long, but my own. Despite what people think, I'm not cold-hearted; I just have a very hard time opening up to people. And as I grew older, from a young boy into a young man, I indulged in imagining my dream woman.

It didn't take me long to create a mental picture of my idea of the perfect woman. Yes, I know that physical beauty – whatever there might be of it – is fleeting, and exceedingly unimportant when compared to someone's heart and soul…

But I was a hormonal teenager, and yes, sexy women are more appealing – at least at first glance. And her appearance wasn't the only thing I pictured; it was just the first thing I would notice, and I figured it would be better than not if she was pleasing to look upon.

I wanted someone with blue eyes. You could say this is narcissism on my part – seeing as how my own eyes are blue – but the fact of the matter is, my favorite color is blue.

Isis' eyes are a brilliant, deep green. Endless pools of knowledge and wisdom, that she imparts to those who are deserving – and can I be forgiven if for so long I did not count myself among those who were so worthy? I can get lost just looking into those jade orbs. I think I've found a new favorite color.

I've always liked long hair on women – I have no idea why, but something about it just appeals to me – Isis' is barely shoulder-length. It suits her, however, just like those flowing Egyptian robes she favors, and the discreet golden jewelry.

I'm six foot one; unusually tall for a native Japanese. I spent the first half of my life having to either look literally (if not figuratively) up at people, or having them look literally **and** figuratively down at me. Sometimes – as in the case of Gozabura – both. I spent the second half of my life having to look **literally**, if not figuratively, down at other people. But one of things I that I **knew** I wanted in a life mate was one that, even if she wasn't equal in intelligence to me – which she most likely wouldn't be; my tested IQ borders on immeasurable, which isn't as much fun as most people would think – that I could have an equal **relationship** with. And if you spend enough time looking **literally** down at someone, it becomes harder and harder to keep from looking **figuratively** down at them.

This rambling discourse only serves to point out **why** I'd always wanted someone tall. At the least, a woman who was tall enough that I wouldn't have to stoop to look into her eyes. Isis is barely five foot three. And in addition to her Egyptian robes, she also favors sandals, which don't even add a modicum of height to her short stature.

However, despite her shortness – or maybe even because of it; who knows? Certainly not me… – I have never once considered Isis inferior to me, or myself superior – except in the most superficial of ways. We all have our strengths; computers are mine, history is Isis' – to her.

In my perfectly ordered, paint-by-number world, the unexpected is not exactly welcome. In my experience, when things don't end up the way you planned, they go badly. Well, except for Gozabura throwing himself out that window – that was a rather nice surprise. And Yami crushing the darkness from my soul, while not exactly fun, was necessary. But other than that…

In all the – admittedly little; I had better things to do with the majority of my time than fantasize, especially while Mokuba and I were growing up in Gozabura's house, under his rules – thinking I did about my idea of the perfect – well, perfect for **me** – girl…

Isis Ishtar is not at **all** what I pictured when I thought of the girl of my dreams.

* * *

_So it took me by complete surprise,  
when my heart got lost in those deep green eyes.  
She's not at all what I was looking for.  
She's more.  
  
No it wasn't, at first sight,  
but the moment I looked twice  
I saw the woman I was born to love._

* * *

Which is why it took me by complete surprise when I realized that I'd fallen for her. And fallen **hard**. I found myself making up reasons to go see her – and they got more outlandish by the day; how often does the CEO of an international gaming company have reason to visit a **museum curator**, after all? – and even when I did have to talk to her about something legitimate, I ended up missing whole chunks of the conversation because I got couldn't stop staring at her. Or rather, staring into her eyes.

As cliché as it sounds, I could – and often did – get lost in those deep green orbs. They'd seen so much – the future and the distant past, as well as the present. What must it be like to have that kind of clairvoyance? If she'd lived back in ancient Greece, she could have given the Oracle at Delphi a run for her money.

Of course, Isis was Egyptian in her past life, not Grecian. She held the Millennium Tauk then as well. She was one of Yami's – or, as he was known then, Atemu's – advisors. Her name was Ishizu then, which actually is another form of the name Isis; funny, that… But then in my past life, my name was Seth; I was named for the Egyptian God of Darkness. Ironic, isn't it, that the Pharaoh (AKA Yami in this incarnation) now bears a similar title?

Some things never change…or, at least, they don't change all that much.

Some things do, however. Foremost among them, back in Egypt **I** held the Millennium Rod. Ishuzu didn't **have** a younger brother.

And, tantamount among the differences…she and I didn't get along **at** all.

As Heraclitus put it, 'Nothing endures but change.'

I'm glad our animosity is one of the things that got altered. Even though she wasn't at all what I had wanted in a life mate, she's perfect for me. Most likely because she's nothing like I imagined her to be.

I'm not going to say anything corny – okay, the 'getting lost in her eyes' comment was pretty corny, but I'm not about to make spouting romantic mush a habit – like it was love at first sight.

Maybe second sight…

Anyway, the first time we met, I thought the whole 'psychic' thing she had going was a complete crock. Yami may have crushed the darkness from my soul, but by that time, I'd written it all off to a hallucination on my part.

Yes, I am good at many things, and denial is one of them.

I didn't want to hear about Shadow Magic – I was trying not to admit to myself that **yes**, I did believe in it – or past lives in Egypt – honestly, I had never gone in for religion, and though reincarnation is one thing that Buddhism has in common with Egyptian god worship, I had always believed that you got one life, one chance, and that was it – and especially not about how Yami was a reincarnated Pharaoh.

I had convinced myself that Yami was a figment of my imagination, conjured up because I couldn't see any other way that innocent little Yugi Moto could beat me in a duel.

Vanity, thy name is Seto Kaiba.

And Isis could see right through me. Through my vanity. Through my conceited airs. Through all the barriers and walls I erected around myself…and what was left of my heart.

She got through all of them. And when she'd finally battled her way through all my defenses, I realized that it wasn't a bad thing to have someone – other than Mokuba – care about me.

More than care about me…

And I realized that Isis was the only woman I had ever **wanted** to **like** me, let alone love me.

My own deeply held beliefs about reincarnation aside, **something** must have tied our souls together when we were brought to life here in this time. Back in Egypt, we didn't **hate** each other, but we definitely didn't like each other all that much. And while it could be argued that the only reason she came to Japan was for the Battle City tournament – to stop her brother and his Ghouls from 'taking over the world' (As if!) – and giving me Obelisk, well, that was also preordained…

But she didn't have to tell me so much about my past. She definitely didn't have to **show** it to me using her Millennium Tauk.

Not that I would have believed her if she hadn't, but I know how leery she is of anyone else getting their hands on her Millennium Item. Her visions – no matter what they may show – are sacred to her. Sharing their content is one thing – and to expected with what she is often shown – but to actually let someone else **watch**?

As far as I know, not even Malik has ever seen her visions first hand.

And without doubt, there was no reason for her to offer to show me – **just** me – more of my past by the same route.

That last was a private offer, made right after Battle City. No one but us knows about it. And, while I had been shaken to my core by the events of that tournament – and had finally admitted to myself that **yes**, magic, especially in its Shadow form, **did** exist – I had to know more. I couldn't sweep my thought and knowledge under the rug for a second – or was that a third? – time.

That was the real beginning of our relationship. At first, wary – at least on my part – acquaintances. Later, tentative – again on my part – friendship. Followed closely by a blooming romance, and later…

Love.

There's only one explanation for how such an unusual happenstance must have occurred. The Gods in charge of rebirth – I know Anubis is the Lord of the Dead, but I'm not sure he handles the rebirth of souls – must have reincarnated me with her in mind. There's no other way I could ever have let myself be so open with her.

No way could I ever have let myself love her if there wasn't some mystical force at work.

For once, I don't mind magic. As long as it brought me her, brought us together…I can put up with any amount of insanity.

* * *

_Her laughter fills my soul,  
and when I hold her I don't wanna let go.  
When it comes to her, I can't get enough…_

_So it took me by complete surprise  
when my heart got lost in those deep green eyes.  
She's not at all what I was looking for.  
She's more._

* * *

It's amazing how much I've changed; how much **Isis** has changed me. While – despite popular opinion that has me branded as the 'Ice Prince' of Domino City – I have always felt emotion – though during my 'darker' days most of that emotion was also dark and negative to boot – rarely (except to Mokuba) have I expressed it.

But Isis changed that. Changed **me**.

This…this slip of a girl – and she is still a girl, for all that's she's four years my senior – with green eyes full of fire and hair the color of night's deepest shadows…has stolen what was left of my heart. And the tattered remains of said organ were so small and scattered that even I never thought I'd find them again.

Whenever she laughs, it fills my soul with so much happiness that I just have to join in. Whenever she hugs me, I hold her in my arms and don't want to let go. I can't get enough of her.

When I realized that, I near about had a panic attack. Ironically enough, it was her voice in my head whispering, "You can't tell me you didn't see this coming, Seto. We've been together for over two years, after all."

And she – for all that she **was** a figment of imagination – was right.

Instead of checking myself into an insane asylum – as I would have liked to do several years previously – I went out and bought a ring.

A simple gold band; no diamonds, since I knew she didn't like them, but an inscription that said – in ancient Egyptian yet, and you have no idea how hard it was to find someone who could engrave that on there – 'Forever my heart will be yours.'

All right, so I **can** do sappily romantic when I want to. She brings out the most **unusual** parts of my personality. And, for some reason…I don't mind a bit.

The next day, I asked her to marry me. I shouldn't have been surprised when she said yes. I mean, she must have seen it coming…

Or maybe not. Because, when I said, "Will you, Isis Ishtar, do me the honor of becoming my wife?" – a traditional Egyptian marriage request; I thought she'd appreciate the meaning – her deep green eyes were filled with total, bewildered astonishment as she stuttered out her answer.

The sweetest word I've ever heard from her lips.

"Yes."

* * *

_More than I dreamed of,  
more than any man deserves.  
I couldn't ask for more than a love like hers._

* * *

Of course, despite all my dreaming and fantasizing about my perfect woman, I was pretty sure that any woman I'd like – well, **love** – enough to consider 'perfect' would also have to be smart enough to realize that I was not a good catch. That I was, in fact, an extremely **bad** catch. And thus, my perfect woman would take one look at me, realize I was a hopeless cause, and run the other way.

I read a bumper sticker the other day that seems like it was created expressly for my situation: 'I almost had a clairvoyant girlfriend, but she left me before we met.' That fits Isis to a T – she (along with the help of her Millennium Tauk) – can see the future, so surely she saw my interest in her long before I had decoded it myself.

And yet…she didn't try to stop me. She even **encouraged** my interest in her; returned it tenfold.

And it makes me wonder…does she see something in me that I don't? Something that makes her think I'm a worthwhile life mate and husband? Or is she just as crazy as her brother's former yami?

Despite my obvious wealth and prestige, I am **not** Japan's most eligible bachelor. My emotional growth is stunted, I have almost no social skills to speak of, and I am very prosaic, almost to the point of not believing in magic, even thought I've seen it happen many times. She could have done so much better than me.

But she said yes. Even now, with my ring upon her finger, and hers upon mine…those two little words exchanged in a ceremony this very afternoon…I still have a hard time believing it.

Isis is more than I had ever dreamed of. She's more than any man – especially one such as me – deserves.

But thankfully for my heart, she doesn't seem to think so. And I am so glad, because I couldn't ask – or even hope, pray, beg or wish – for more than her love.

* * *

_So it took me by complete surprise,  
when my heart got lost in those deep green eyes.  
She's not at all what I was looking for.  
She's more…_

* * *

THE END


End file.
